The expert was a convict back about 25 years ago who had killed and was convicted in both NY and Ohio (IIRC). He had a life without parole sentence in NY and a death penalty in Ohio. He asked to to go Ohio to have the death penalty. Obviously, he thought life without parole was worse and he knew more about the issue than anyone here.
The death penalty actually being carried out is preceded by years if not decades of prison, so maybe a lot of people adjust to some degree and still prefer to remain alive.
Death please. Along with the right to forgo appeals and have it carried out quickly.
Huge opponent of death penalty. I see wisdom in isolating certain people in such a manner that they cannot be a threat to polite society, but I have strong misgivings about LWOP. Both views are their own Oprahs.
For this OP I will opine that yes, LWOP is worse than death. An expedited capital sentence conversion should be an option for the convicted–After serving 90 days, capital can be requested, 30 day window to ‘cool-down’ after requesting it (during which the request can be withdrawn), and after the 30 days, straight to the nitrogen chamber with no appeal.
Death penalty means you live out your life on death row, segregated from everyone else. With life in prison you can hang out with the general population as long as you keep out of trouble. I’d rather have to adapt to life in prison society than a prolonged torture of virtual solitude with a forced execution at the end of it all.
At least in the general population you can plan a breakout and have a remote chance of it happening. On death row you pretty much have to hope for some sort DNA evidence, crazy governor, natural disaster or complete social breakdown to get out.
Imagine being Tommy Silverstein
Too late through the edit window, I realize that that’s not a very good reference about the conditions of Silverstein’s Supermax solitary confinement at Marion. Googling his name and the prison’s will get you a selection of resources.
Yeah, that would be worse than death right there, to be an Aryan Brotherhood member with such a Jewish-sounding name. I’m sure they picked on him.
(Also the no-human-contact-for-years thing.) :eek:
Just about everybody has the option of suicide.
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I did not realize that. I assumed that it would be rather difficult to commit suicide in a high security incarceration setting. I mean, if one wished to commit suicide one would probably prefer to do so without undue pain and at the same time without high risk of being interrupted and resuscitated. Is it actually that easy to get the supplies you’d need? Am I lacking in imagination here?
Well, there’s always banging your head against a brick wall or eating your wrists or eating nothing or eating feces or strangling yourself with your pants.
Or tying your hands behind our back, and taking a header from the second floor catwalk into the rec room.
We know that because of the dearth of newspaper stories out of Devil’s Island and North Korea reporting suicides.
I’m impressed how even the poll results are. Almost 50%-50%. Well done.
So much this.
(I see the poll is tied at 29 apiece. Intense!!) 
How many “life without parole” prisoners are trying to get the death penalty? A lot less than vice versa!
That’s the most telling fact.
DItto. Give me liberty or give me death.
Because they don’t know what’s good for them.
For really heinous folks, death is over too quickly. I can imagine thinking someone deserves to rot in hell for eternity. Since hell doesn’t exist, I’d have to settle for up to several decades in a Supermax facility.